When an individual is affected with a sore throat and/or a cough they often seek an item to provide relief. One such item may include a demulcent. Demulcents soothe or soften minor pain and/or inflammation, usually through formation of a film over a mucous membrane.
One type of demulcent includes pectin, which may be delivered in demulcent throat soothers such as hard candy, chewy candy, or gummies. However, current methods for forming throat soothers including pectin or other demulcents require pre-hydration generally involving the addition of water, processing of hydrated pectin granules, and subsequent dehydration. Additionally, current methods of employing pectin for use as a demulcent is believed to rely upon particles 100 microns or larger, which is the size at which pectin is generally commercially available.
What is needed is a comestible containing a demulcent that does not require pre-hydration for item formation, does not contain demulcent particles perceivable by the individual's tongue, and has a rapid hydrolysis resulting in quicker soothing benefits.